2:15 a.m. SLT, Friday, June 1. Steeltopia still stands, however precariously, though by the time you read this that may no longer be true.

I have just returned to the safety of Winterfell to make these notes which are being written at my office in Anodyne, next door to where the Steeltopia Embassy once proudly stood.

The scene on the ground in Steeltopia City is truly a nightmare. Official Imperial buildings that were part of the reconstruction project have sustained massive damage. The fire and smoke can be seen for miles. The forces of the Valerian Confederation have carried out what one seasoned observer referred to as “a scorched earth policy” in hopes of wiping Steeltopia from the map.

Steeltopia burns following attack by Valeria

The Imperial Navy base sustained heavy damage to its buildings and vessels. I was unable to view this damage close up when I last visited two days ago, as Valerian forces were still on the scene, holding the position. Yesterday I received this dispatch from Invertigo Caldwell, Commander of the remaining Steeltopia defense forces… “The Valerians continue to pummel the capital with mass naval bombardment, sending in tanks and troops to finish the job and wiping out our small but brave military resistance. There are reports of enemy troops raiding and looting valuables from the Regent Theatre, such as the Men and Women Over Caledon paintings.”

On today’s visit I saw a half-dozen Valerian tanks in the city center. A lone tank of the Steeltopia military forces stood nearby, wrecked and burning, the last vestige of the skeleton force left behind in the valiant effort to protect the city. But Valerian military personnel appear to have withdrawn for the moment, their absence causing me to wonder if it was safe for me to be here. I had been advised by officials of the Steeltopia Consortium of Scientific Endeavors (from their secret position in exile) not to use standard time machines to enter the city as the temporal environment remains unstable, this due to the fallout from the Valerians’ attack on Anchorage last year. That attack was carried out with an ancient super weapon that had been hidden in the coal mines of Steeltopia, a weapon many thought to be mere legend. The Valerians captured the weapon, which has since become known as the Scourge, and used it to cause the implosion and complete obliteration of Anchorage. The SCSE cautions that any use of time machines could cause a new flare-up in the temporal environment and destroy the remaining territory of the Empire in the same manner.

Imperial Military sources tell me the Empire’s last hope is the Sky Defenders Fleet with its flying fortress Evangelion which was said to be en route to engage and destroy the Scourge.

The city’s residents were safely evacuated some months ago. The whereabouts of The Emperor remain unknown at this time. He is officially listed as missing in action.

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Editor’s note: You may wish to read my report from Steeltopia from last August on the heels of the attack on Anchorage…